January 2010 - 21

Moving Forward
Rich DeMartino embraces challenges as 2010 ACBL President.
In the mid-Fifties, Rich DeMartino
was introduced to the game of bridge
by his parents. It didn't take long
before he was hooked. More than 50
years later, he is still immersed in the
game in a variety of aspects.
With his election this past summer
as 2010 ACBL President, the District
25 representative to the ACBL Board
took on the latest of many tasks in
the service of bridge.
An accomplished player with four
North American championships and
nearly 20,000 masterpoints, DeMartino has been treasurer of District
25 (New England) since 1997 after
holding several other administrative
positions, including president and
vice president. He was elected as the
District 25 representative to the ACBL
Board for the 2001 term and recently
was re-elected for a fourth three-year
term.
DeMartino says his motivation for
getting into administration was to
give back to the game he loves.
Just as important to DeMartino, a
retired executive with Equitable Life
and CIGNA, is his bridge teaching,
which he has done for nearly five
decades.
DeMartino grew up in a household
where many games were played, and
one day when he was in high school,
he saw his parents playing bridge
in the kitchen. He learned the game
from a Charles Goren bridge book
and began playing in clubs before
going off to college at Lehigh University in Bethlehem PA.
He still played in college, although
not as much, and he also took it easy
after he and his wife, Sandy, started a
family, but he never quit playing. The
DeMartinos now have four children
and one grandson, Alexander, age 6.
DeMartino says he had a plan after
signing on with Equitable - "I want-

ed to retire at 55 and start teaching
bridge." Retirement came in the early
Nineties and he stuck with his plan
to teach, which he thoroughly enjoys.
"It's satisfying to see my students
progress and enjoy success," he says.
ACBL's new President is bracing for
extra travel in 2010 as he assumes the
duties that include visiting various
parts of North America, and he says
he has a few goals for his 12-month
term. Here are some key issues
he hopes to address in the coming
months:
* Advancements in technology
that have potential to improve the
game and the experience of playing,
including the new wireless electronic
scoring devices. "I am enthusiastic
about continuing to take advantage
of the latest technology," DeMartino
says.

By Brent Manley

some amazing things" in terms of
membership growth and customer
support. "We are continually working
to meet the needs of our members. I
want people to know that."
DeMartino acknowledges that the
ACBL could do a better job of attracting more of the millions of people
who play bridge but not duplicate.
"We aren't getting enough of them as
members," he says, "and we need to
figure out how to change that."
He also notes that he has "big shoes
to fill" in taking over for 2009 ACBL
President Jerry Fleming.
"Jerry has done a great job as President."
Overall, DeMartino is optimistic
about the future of bridge and the
ACBL. "I feel good about what we've
accomplished and where we're
headed."

* Slow play. DeMartino says he
believes tournament directors
would be more aggressive in
enforcing regulations about slow
play if they believed doing so
would be supported by the ACBL
Board and the players.
* Development of a ranking
system based on current performance rather than accumulation
of masterpoints. Without such a
system, DeMartino says, many
players are forced to play in
strata above their skill levels.
* Continuation of good working
relations with ACBL management.
DeMartino says that as he and
Sandy travel around the continent
during his term, he hopes to hear
from ACBL members "about what
people think we need to do better."
He also plans to spread the
word that the ACBL "has done
January 2010 Bridge Bulletin

21
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2010
